Heath Shuler hasn’t been in Congress long, but he’s doing the best to lobby Western Carolina to hire a football coach with ties to East Tennessee.
“I told the chancellor (John Bardo) this is an area I know a lot about, and if ever there’s an opportunity I can help or assist in any way, I’d be happy to do so,” Shuler told the Asheville Citizen-Times.
“I think it’s very, very, very crucial, very important that not only has the university done an outstanding job to get some of the highest, most competent professors in their industry to campus, as Chancellor Bardo has alluded to, (they are) world-class professors. I feel it’s time to get a world-class coach there to turn the program around.”
Shuler, a former University of Tennessee quarterback, told the newspaper he gave Western Carolina athletic director Chip Smith the names of several coaching prospects, including Kentucky assistant Randy Sanders, UT assistant Dan Brooks, Carson-Newman College assistant Carl Torbush and Detroit Lions assistant Kippy Brown.
Sanders played for UT and was and was assistant coach for the Vols. He has publicly expressed interest in the job.
Brown is being considered for the offensive coordinator opening at UT and was assistant for the Vols.
Torbush went to high school in Knoxville and was head coach at North Carolina.
Shuler said Smith responded “very well” to the input.
Western Carolina fired fired Kent Briggs on Nov. 12.
Western Carolina hired DHR International this week to aid in the search. Smith told the Citizen-Times the decision to use a search firm was because it had more time to research the candidates.
The newspaper said Smith estimated there are in excess of 80 candidates interested in the job.
Memorable moments in Pat Summitt's…
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Phillip Fulmer through the years
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 41
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Doldrums are here. Didn't wait till after Jan 1, 2008.
chrisw2967 writes:
nafslov: you shouldnt be saying nothing like that , cause as soon as sjt & volinlsu sees this they will eat you alive.
sjt will want to know what you based that on and will tell you how wrong you are.
personally I agree with you.Fulmer has all kind of excuse to use on us for next year.
The bad thing is , all the coaches are leaving except the main player in all this Fulmer.
Just wait for 2008 and they will all be calling for Fulmers head.
hglover40#234154 writes:
Fulmer 10 wins this year - at least 10 wins next year and stays at UT till he is ready to leave.
Whinners 0 wins this year 0 wins next year.
Haters 0 wins this year 0 wins next year.
Cry a river if you want, Coach Fulmer is here till he is ready to leave.
TommyJack writes:
Dash727: You're pretty hard on ole nafslob,
hangover40: Sad but true.
hglover40#234154 writes:
KingsportNOTvol -
10 wins won't make you happy this year and 10 won't make you happy next. We could win every game on our schedule and the SEC championship next year; then lose the NC and you would still call for Fulmer to go.
nafslov - Saban,Meyer,Miles, and Carroll all have won by putting great players on the field. I honestly don't know phooey about he Xs and Os of football, but I've done enough research to see that the coaches who get the best recruits are winning the SEC consistently. Spurrier won't win the SEC at SC until he gets two or three top ten recruiting classes together. I havn't looked at recruiting in the Big Ten, but I bet Ohio St. gets better players than the rest, which may explain why Tressel looks so smart.
weisgarber2003#313889 writes:
"Fulmer 10 wins this year - at least 10 wins next year and stays at UT till he is ready to leave.
Whinners 0 wins this year 0 wins next year.
Haters 0 wins this year 0 wins next year."
What a ridiculous statement. 10 wins this year? How about five losses this year and 15 losses over the last three years, and a winning percentage of .600 from 05-07, not to mention the mediocre record this entire decade. You are delusional.
hglover40#234154 writes:
weisgarber2003 -
UT 3rd best record in the SEC since 2000.
Only teams with better record this decade in the SEC are teams with more highly ranked recruiting classes. Do I have to post the stats for you again?
Why do you think 10 wins is not possible with the amount of talent coming back? You seem pessimistic. Being a fan must not be fun for you. Maybe you should give it up.
hglover40#234154 writes:
UT record broken into eight years periods since 1960 -
1 - 1992-1999 Winning 82.6% Fulmers first 8
2 - 1984 - 1991 winning % 73.6 Majors last 8
3(tie) - winning % 69.9 1968 - 1975
2000 - 2007 Fulmers second 8 .
4 1960- 1968 64.5%
5 1976 - 1983 54.4% Majors first 8.
So this decade, you whine about it, but it is the 3rd best 8 years we've had since 1960.
Notice the best 8 years in TN football since 1960 and who was the coach during that time.
nickperkinsalc#627224 writes:
I remember when my favorite NFL team (Washington Redskins), drafted my favorite Vols player, Heather Shuler. I was 13 or 14 years old and hyped up. It did not quite work out the way I wanted it to.
bullfrog07 writes:
We have dipped into the middle of the pack in the sec, Fulmer took us to another level in the 90's and has now taken us back to where we were before he took over. Kinda like he borrowed the car for a long journey (peaks and valleys) then brought it back exactly as is or was I should say.
Fulmer shouldn't be judged on what he did in the 90's, he should be judged for the past three to four seasons (that's the way all coaches should be judged). Look at what Michigan made their coach do, they were tired of 9-3 after 9-3. Some of our fans love 9-3, they must have be a 9-3 guy growing up in the sports they played.
If you like 9-4 on your good years then Phil is your man, if you want an SEC Championship and shot at NC then we need another coach. Fumer supporters do you really believe we will win a SEC title w/ Philly??
The Fla Gator fans love Phil Fulmer and want UT to keep him - wonder why??? What does that say to us??? If you support Phil and think he's doing a good job then ask yourself those ?'s. I'd like to see them lose Meyer b/c he is better than our coach, he out-coaches him, out-recruits him, out-schemes him, etc.
Anyone who thinks Phil is going to win us a SEC Champ or NC - is missing the boat, he'll get us close once every 4-5 yrs then lose b/c of a conservative gameplan.
Hopefully we get spanked in bowl and go 7-5 next season then UT Boosters ask Phil to retire, would have happened this year if he didn't win the East by a miracle. Phil was on his way out until the Vandy FG and OT win @ Ky.
hglover40#234154 writes:
bullfrog07 -
I don't know about the out schemeing and outcoaching part, but Meyer and Richt both out recruit Fulmer most years. Even Zook had some years he out recruited Fulmer. Have you ever counted the number of 5,4, and 3 stars in FL, and GA, and LA, compared to the number in TN? We may never out recruit those guys but Coach Fulmer gets pretty close.
Average recruiting class SEC since 2002 -
GA 6.2
LSU 7.
FL 8.
UT 10
Auburn 11.3
Do you think we lost to LSU because of the game plan? Or could it be that LSU's senoir class was the ranked as the number #1 recruiting class and their juniors were ranked as the #2 class.
I bet we are back in the SEC championship game next year!!!
1WTNgatorhater writes:
A Tennessee fan that actually wants us to lose the bowl game? Wow..That's odd..Ive heard of a man getting FM radio on the fillings in his teeth, and Ive heard of a man shot between his eyes and living to tell the tale; but this is a new one on me..Either root for the vols, or get a pig hat, Bama sweater or some BS and leave these boards to those whose blood runs deep orange.....
james#216392 writes:
LSU was supposed to win and they almost blew it losing to Arkansas and almost got beat by a lesser Tennessee team. Florida, finished out of the SEC East race behind Tennessee and Georgia. How can you say Urban and Miles are better coaches? They started the season ranked higher and didn't show much improvement all year. Tennessee improved as much (on defense) as any team I've seen. Go Vols.
hglover40#234154 writes:
nafslov - I can think of one great example of Flumer outcoaching someone -
Fulmer went the swamp in 2001 with a team that no one gave a chance and beat your mighty spurrier and his GATORS!!
If your definition of someone getting outcoached is losing to a team with inferior talent then your love Meyer got outcoached by Tubberville. Richt got outcoached by Fulmer the last two years!! And Saban got out coached by whoever the coach is of that no name school that beat Bama.
Maybe it was easy for Meyer, but our secondary was mostly freshmen. We'll be better next year. Rememeber we lost 5 DBs in the last two years. Oh, I'm sorry you don't expect excuses from our team, but here you are in an earlier post making excuses for LSU and Miles. You should go away and be an LSU fan.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
errr.... James, the Dawgs and Gators are still ranked higher. Don't make us refer to how many top 10's finishes Phil has since 1998. You can count them on one finger, I believe. But thanks for the passion. Makes the day go better than dwelling on young men not getting to play in the bowl game or thinking about R Sanders tenure at UT.
I'm for hiring the Clemson OC, if they can lure him in. Who do you prefer? Go Vols.
agentorange writes:
nfsalov, so what was fulmer's quote after the vols came back to beat lsu in baton rouge on a nationally televised game following hurricane katrina when he won with his back up qb? nfsalov, you are a damn idiot.
reedt#304042 writes:
Give it a rest. I think we need to throw support behind Fulmer IF he shows that he is willing to change with the times. By that I mean giving us a more contemporary offense and turning our athletes loose to play. He deserves that chance, as he certainly has brought us to a very respectable level nationally. None of us are happy with the stagnation we have seen in the last 3 or 4 years.
andy112382#209793 writes:
nafslov......1998 4 plays from 8-4??? Come on, man, spare us. You could go over almost every national champ from the past 50 years and break it down like that! Whats the point in looking at everything with such a depressed frame of mind?
How many games with top 10 teams came down to a touchdown or less in the margin of victory this year alone? You want to break it down with every team that was in the top 10 for me and tell me how about every team in the nation could have 1-3 more losses if this break didn't go their way, or if their QB had their leg snapped in half instead of playing, or they didn't score because they could have dropped that pass instead???
Spare us the bleak and depressed way of thinking you have, that goes for all of the haters on here, get over it.
GO VOLS!!!
southernACmavs writes:
As andy said, Phil created football.With out Phil there is no reason to play football. What we must do is GIVE MORE MONEY.. Who cares if we Cant beat Florida. Who cares if we cant win a Championship.Who cares if Vandy comes to knoxville and beats you now and then.The important thing for all Tennessee fans to remember is WEEES WORKENN LIKE HECK. GO VOLS!! GIVE MORE MONEY EXPECT LESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
southernACmavs writes:
Is the new highlight film out yet?? Wonder what the name is? KEEPING PHILS JOB. or FAT LIP DEFENCE. how about MORE OF THE SAME. ill bet its WORKEN LIKE HECK. LOL it cant be MAKING THE GRADE.. LOL I COULD DO THIS ALL DAY LOL
ggcolyer#634308 writes:
CPF= Don't need the money
CPF= Takes the verbal abuse
CPF= Staying the course
CPF= Could it be? The love of Football. The love of the Vols.
CPF= Find the best staff in the SEC.
stevefrommemphis writes:
Medicare is unsustainable in its current form without huge tax increases. The US dollar continues to lose value against every other currency in the world. In today's news, the FBI spends $1 billion to start a vast database of biometrics. (Anybody remember the movie "Minority Report.") Yet I am pleased that Congressman Shuler is concerned about the Western Carolina coaching job, because almost every time Congress attacks one of these issues, things get worse. So please, Congressman Shuler, spend more time on football and less on governing the country.
southernACmavs writes:
CPF=SHOULD NOT TAKE A RAISE THEN CPF=should have won the sec CPF= COURSE IS LEADING US THE WRONG WAY CPF=TIME HAS PASSED ,CPF= WILL NOT HIRE ANYONE HE FILLS WILL DO HIMSELF LIKE HE DONE JOHNNY PAW FULMER NEEDS TO STEP ASIDE ,TO PRESERVE HIS LEGACY AT TENNESSEE. HOW WILL THE FANS REMEMBER PAW FULMER? won a national championship in 1998. Nothing after that, could not beat Florida.5-11 so far.Let Vandy beat him in his own house.
southernACmavs writes:
THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE
gohawks1 writes:
southernACmavs, ease up on that caps lock key, brother. You're giving my old eyes a hard time! I don't agree with everything in your post, but the FL record sticks in my craw too.
As for the Majors bit, what role did Fulmer play in that except to coach the team to victories after Majors had to have surgery? Did he cause Majors to have those heart problems? Did he promote himself to OC? Did he hire himself to replace Majors? Sorry, but I can't see any way that Fulmer is to blame for that, unless you know something I don't. Should have lost all of the games he coached as interim to show his support for Majors? Don't forget that one of those victories was against the gators.
gohawks1 writes:
Meant to say, "Did he promote himself to IC (Interim Coach?) The hand is quicker than the I...
JETnTN writes:
nafslov...perfect name... you are backwards!
movol77 writes:
I am not a coach. I am not an AD. I have no collegiate coaching or athletic directorship resume. Nonetheless, I do know everything there is to know about collegiate football and can tell you that the coach is a koolaid drankin', donut-eatin', FOOLish, yester-year, money grabber.
Signed,
Mediocre & Repetitive CPF Hater
southernACmavs writes:
Paw Fulmer took his chubby lil hand and placed a knife in Johnny s back. While Johnny was healing from open heart surgery .Paw used those wins to stong arm Tennessee.. Do you remember hearing how hard it would be to recruit against Paw if he went to South Carolina. If you want the full story Johnny will tell it.Yes Johnny promoted paw to OC, Johnny liked phil. And the 5-11 counts that win. KEEP WORKENN LIKE HECK PAW
movol77 writes:
Oops. I left out "back stabber."
Signed,
MRCPFH
asleep#212036 writes:
nafslov,
I can't argue whether Fulmer is on par with other coaches because his record and recruiting prowess seem to be at odds with what we (non-coaches) see on the field. I can argue the repetitive garbage about his never receiving other offers. Let's suppose you are Dividion I school looking for another head coach. How do you suppose you could get Fulmer, if he were your choice? Money? He's a millionaire already and doesn't need it - just gave a cool mil back to the university. Prestige? There are but a handful of programs with the clout to pull a guy from UT and two of them, Nebraska and Michigan got new coaches. Do you honestly think that if Fulmer were available, he wouldn't have gotten a look from these two conservative programs? Power? He's a fixture a UT (something the haters hate) and could never achieve that level of control anywhere else. NFL? A couple of teams were interested after the '98 season and he told them no way, he was a college coach. Bottom line, you couldn't get him to leave UT for any amount of money, power, prestige, etc... Everyone knows this so nobody tries. Let him get fired and he would have another HC job in less than a month. Hate him if you want, but that line of reasoning is silly and weakens your overall argument about his usefulness to the Vols. Go Vols!!!
FWBVol writes:
southernACmavs, please, enlighten all of us with the evidence to substantiate your accusations against Phillip Fulmer's role in the dismissal of Johnny Majors. And don't tell me Majors' side of the story because even though he denies any bitterness, he has come off as being bitter and holding a grudge for his firing for 15 years. I appreciate everything the Majors family has done and meant to UT through the years, but it's time for some people to let it go.
This story was about Heath Shuler offering some opinions about the head coaching search at Western Carolina and people turn it, and every other story, into a Phillip Fulmer bashvest.
Save your energy...Fulmer will be back next year, and there's nothing any Fulmer haters can do about that any more than there would be anything CPF supporters could do if he had already been fired.
As long as CPF is UT's coach support him and his team. That doesn't mean you have to like or agree with what he does, but show a little class.
movol77 writes:
FWBVol, well said.
southernACmavs writes:
The Big Orange Nation is divided. A look into the upper deck ,at all the empty seats should have sent a clear message to the millondollar club. They have ignored us, the comman fan again.Phil is back and in line for a raise and extension.Stay the corse,work like heck and Eastern Division Champions.OH and dont forget The Dean of SEC coaches and New Years day bowls.This has been the Big Orange Spinn. I sit through Wade the Fade years of basketball.I watched the basketball program Die a slow death.To this day I have not been able to make myself go back.Yea yea I know Pearl is great and all. But something just turns my stomach when I think about Tennessee basketball. I can not tell you haow much i have loved Tennessee football. Year after year my life has revolved around going to the games.The time and money is staggering for me to think of.This is the first year by the end of the season, I DID NOT CARE. win or lose. Im a guy whom has never played a ball board,Becouse i would not Pull against my Vols. I fill like the kid that just found out there is no Santa. THANK YOU Thornton, Hamiliton Fulmer. Spend more expect less GO VOLS
chrisw2967 writes:
Plasticman: You dont have any high hopes there do you ? You think Fulmer deserves a couple more years to TRY and win an SECC at least until 2010. Heck why dont they just give him a lifetime extension. We are going on 10 years trying to win any kind of championship.
By the time 2010 gets here we will be at the bottom of the SEC.I know people are only suppose to posts on here only if your not bashing Fulmer cause I notice if you bash him your always in the wrong and the Fulmer lovers are always in the right.
If you like watching half a&* coached football then you get what you pay for.
hglover40#234154 writes:
Winning the SEC is tough. 10 years is a long time between championships. UT averages 1 SEC championship every 8 years since 1960, so we are overdue. We should have won it in 2001 after going down to the swamp and out coaching a Spurrier team that no one thought we could beat, and making it to the title game. We were close again this year, but close is not good enough. It is FRUSTRATING to not have won the SEC since 1998. The 2005 season was really frustrating - after the Bama game I busted the oven door into a thousand pieces - my wife ban me and just from UT football :(. It was a tough year!
If anyone has seen my post, it is obvious that I support Fulmer; but not blindly and not forever. I will always respect what Coach Fulmer has done for UT, but if we don't win one by the time the 2007 freshman class leave then surely it will be time for a change. I think Coach Fulmer said this may be the best freshmen class he's ever had. I hope he will lead them to an SEC championship!! Go VOLS.
Brama writes:
I sure would not follow Heath Shuler's advice on any thing related to Football. We was just an okay quaterback at UT and we all have seen how his NFL career went.
Oenoboy writes:
Posted by southernACmavs on December 23, 2007 at 2:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Paw Fulmer took his chubby lil hand and placed a knife in Johnny s back. While Johnny was healing from open heart surgery .Paw used those wins to stong arm Tennessee.. Do you remember hearing how hard it would be to recruit against Paw if he went to South Carolina. If you want the full story Johnny will tell it.Yes Johnny promoted paw to OC, Johnny liked phil. And the 5-11 counts that win. KEEP WORKENN LIKE HECK PAW
_______________________________________
southernACmavs...You have no idea what you are talking about. Fulmer was IHC for the first three games in 1992. He upset 14th ranked Georgia and 4th ranked Florida. Majors came back and lost to unranked South Carolina and Arkansas with a loss to the 4th ranked Alabama in between. That was seven losses in a row to Alabama for Majors. Majors also had some personal demons he could never get control of.
I've heard Johnny's side of the story and never have I heard him acknowledge his role in his demise at UT. Right, the world was out to get him and it was all Phil Fulmer's fault.
If you look back on Majors' records. He would see-saw between good and bad seasons until 1989 when Fulmer took over the offense. Hmmm, I wonder why that decision was made? We've only had two seasons from that day with over 4 losses.
slambob2#228938 writes:
My wish for Shuler is that he'd become a Republican.
ballewville6 writes:
i dont know where all you people who wrote these post some good others not,but i live 45 miles northeast of knoxville and i was born on the tennessee side of state line and have always lived here besides when i was in military,i bleed oarnge and to here a fan say we need to lose to wisconson so fulmer will lose his job your an idiot not a vol fan.im not a big phil fan because when i was21 i got shot by my neighbor who could pass as phils twin and everytime we lose i get mad and cuss him through the tv,but it aint all his fault he doesnt do all the recruiting.we need to get more talent in our defensive line and other spots it would be great to have the caliber player at every position like we have in eric berry,i wish we could have a freshman stud at qb that could win from the start but if we cant then please johnathon please have a great year or too if you are the one.were losing the recruiting battle between the sec schools and even our home state and with our top recruiters leaving it looks worse already lost terrerll pryor and probally others we need to bring some assitances from nfl with ties that will help recruiting,but after winning national tital in 98 and having those 11 and 1 and 10 -2 records phil put the measuring stick up to a level that he cannot get near anymore but even with a new coach would it be any better if whoever you get to replace phil would be fired if he didnt have tital within 2 to 4 yearsand if he got one then you would expect another. so be happy with phil for awhile longer and maby we can get back to 11and 1 or 12 and 1 or 10 and 2 and be happy were not a team like under majors that goes 4 and 7 ar 6 and 5 or a good year like 7and 5 and 8 and 4.he won the best game ut every played 35 - 7 over miami and was canned shortley after.does any remember back when we was lucky to get to the blue bonnet bowl,or the garden state bowl i remember.
jweaver3#395614 writes:
navslov, Jim definetly has common sense as well as pretty good business sense!!! If you are smarter than Jim why don't you take your millions and buy Fulmer out??? You shouldn't need anyones help being the genius you are????
TXVOLSFAN
Glad your back SAVOL!!!
Let's have a Spurs clinic repeat in 08
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